Sick Days
by Knifez
Summary: A week and a half after Naruto and Hinata's wedding, Shikamaru gets himself a mission to Suna so he can see his new girlfriend. Unfortunately, upon arrival he learns that Temari is sick with the flu! One thing is certain, its going to be a very troublesome couple of days.
1. Arrival

**Yup yup yup...another ShikaTema story. This won't be a one-shot, it'll probably be three or four chapters.**

* * *

"Shikamaru," Kakashi said with a smile from behind his desk, "what is it you need?"

"Eh..." Shikamaru paused, faltering under the knowing smirk of the Sixth Hokage. He looked away and scratched the back of his head, "I...was just wondering if there were any missions to Suna available?"

The Hokage laced his fingers and rested his chin on top of them, studying the awkward Jounin. "Hmm, I think we have a couple," he told Shikamaru offhandedly. "There's one, C-Rank, delivering a message to the Kazekage. Chunin stuff, really." His eyes twinkled, "Do you want it?"

Shikamaru's cheeks turned slightly pink, but he kept his composure, "sure, if its no trouble to you."

"Having one of our best ninja on a C-Rank mission instead of an A-Rank or S-Rank? Of course it's no trouble!" Kakashi said sarcastically, still smiling.

At this, Shikamaru just smirked. "Nice try, Kakashi-Sensei, but we haven't had anything close to an A-Rank mission since the Land of Silence."

"You have a point," Kakashi admitted, rummaging through his desk. "I have the details for the mission and the message around here somewhere..."

Shikamaru stood there for fifteen seconds as Kakashi lazily searched different stacks of papers before walking to the desk and extracting the needed documents easily. Kakashi sighed and shook his head, "of course you knew where the documents were. Do you already have a bag packed at home to?"

"I am known for planning ahead," Shikamaru drawled, turning to leave.

"Shikamaru," Kakashi called, making him pause, "I expect you back in a week. No later."

Shikamaru turned back to the Hokage with a polite nod. "Understood." He turned to leave again.

"Shikamaru."

The Nara turned back to Kakashi, trying not to let his impatience and irritation show. "Ah? What is it?"

"Have fun...but not too much fun, okay? You're too young to become a dad."

Shikamaru made a noise somewhere between a yelp and a cough and turned a bright crimson. "What?! It's not like that, I don't plan on...she wouldn't..." he continued to mutter nonsense and quickly took his leave.

After the door was closed and Shikamaru was safely out of earshot, Kakashi let out a laugh. "Oh, to be young again," he said wistfully, turning back to his paperwork.

* * *

Shikamaru hummed to himself as he threw some clothes haphazardly into his backpack. Contrary to what he had implied to the Hokage, Shikamaru did not have a bag packed. He hadn't wanted to get his hopes up only to be told he couldn't go, but looking back now he realized that was silly. It was peacetime and things were good. A high-ranking shinobi like Shikamaru could afford to go take a week off and see his girlfriend.

The thought pulled him up short, and he paused in the act of putting a pair of socks into his backpack.

His _girlfriend_. The thought and idea was still so foreign to him that he had to remind himself that Temari was indeed his girlfriend, and that he was going to travel through a desert to surprise her with nothing but his company.

The thought made him smile, and he made no effort to hide it as finished packing. Just as he finished putting his toothbrush into his side pouch, the door to his room opened, making him jump.

"What's got you so happy?" said a familiar voice.

Shikamaru turned to face his mother, Yoshino. "Who says I'm happy?" He asked, slinging his backpack over his shoulder.

"I heard you humming," Yoshino said pointedly, "and look at you, you're smiling!"

Shikamaru remembered he was indeed smiling and shook his head. "Whatever, I'm leaving for a week."

Yoshino's expression morphed from one of suspect to elation. "Oh! You're going to see Temari! Excellent!"

"Mom!" he groaned, "c'mon, don't be a drag!"

In an instant Shikamaru's ear was firmly pinched between his mother's talon-like fingers. "Watch your tongue mister! Just because you outrank me as a ninja now doesn't mean you can talk to me like that!"

Shikamaru yelped and quickly attempted to placate his angered mother. "Alright, alright, jeeze! Just let go of me already!"

Yoshino let go and eyed her son with a mix of disapproval and happiness. "Y'know, I thought I was never going to get to be a grandmother. I'm glad you're proving me wrong."

Shikamaru groaned again and walked past his mother, "Mom, you _are_ being a drag, and you know it."

Yoshino gave a teasing laugh and followed her son to the front door. "Maybe I am," she said, eyes twinkling, "have a good mission, Shikamaru. Get your old mother something nice from Suna, will you?"

Shikamaru eyed his mother as she stood in the doorway, "I haven't even told you I'm going to Suna. How are you so sure?"

In response, she opened the door and shooed him out. "If you think your father was the only one of your parents with powers of observation you're a bigger idiot than he was," said with a smile, she closed the door.

Shikamaru took a second to collect himself. This mission was supposed to be the very _opposite_ of troublesome, but so far it had been anything but.

He double checked to make sure he had the message for Gaara and began the three day trek to Suna.

He'd make it there in two.

* * *

A day and a half later, Shikamaru was almost there. It had been a quiet, uneventful journey, just as the laze had hoped, and he was steadily getting more excited to get to Suna. It had only been a couple weeks since he had seen Temari at Naruto and Hinata's wedding, but it felt like a lot longer.

He remembered that day. The weather was perfect, she had looked great as usual, and he remembered her warm hand in his, and her flaming red face as she stared determinedly at the ground, her grip on his hand never slacking. The late night conversation, the smile and hug she had left him with before leaving for Suna the next day had ensured that Naruto's wedding was one of the best days of his life.

The gates of Suna loomed ahead in the distance and Shikamaru quickened his pace.

The guards at the gate looked surprised to see him. Shikamaru remembered he was a famous ninja now thanks to his efforts in the war, and he had to tell the nervous guards that everything was fine, he was just delivering a message to the Kazekage, nothing urgent.

They let him in after giving him a visitors pass, and Shikamaru made a beeline for the Kazekage's office.

 _Knock knock._

"Come in." Said a calm voice from behind the door. Shikamaru opened it and walked in.

Gaara was bent over his desk, scribbling something on a piece of paper. He looked up and his eyes widened ever-so-slightly in surprise. "Ah, Shikamaru, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine Kazekage-sama," Shikamaru assured him quickly, pulling out the scroll, "I just have a message for you from Kakashi-sensei."

"Just Gaara is fine," the Kazekage corrected him in a tone that might be described as warm. He reached out and grabbed the scroll, opening it and giving it a quick glance. He nodded and set it down on the desk. "Thank you. Though, may I ask why the Hokage felt the need to send one of his best ninja for such a trivial mission?"

"I had been hoping to spend some time with Temari, actually," Shikamaru said bluntly. He and Temari were no secret, after all Gaara had been at the wedding too.

Gaara nodded, his expression unreadable. "Well, unfortunately-"

"Oi, Gaara," came a new voice from behind Shikamaru, "I got us lunch. You owe me four bucks and-OI! What is he doing here?"

Shikamaru turned to see a confused Kankuro standing in the doorway, a large paper bag clutched in his hands. He looked as intimidating as ever with his bizarre face-paint.

"Shikamaru is delivering a message from the Hokage. He is also looking to spend some time with our dear sister."

Shikamaru tried not to sweat as he saw Kankuro take in the news. He knew Gaara was fine with his thing with Temari, but Kankuro had been shooting death glares at Shikamaru all night during the wedding, though had stopped when Temari threatened to blow him out of Konoha.

Kankuro just laughed, much to Shikamaru's surprise. "Best of luck to you, poor bastard."

"Hah?" Shikamaru made a noise of confusion, "What do you mean?"

"As I was saying before we were interrupted," Gaara continued as Kankuro took a seat in front of the desk and began pulling out various food, "Temari is currently quite ill. She can be very...irritable."

Shikamaru's heart sank. He was only here for three days and Temari was sick? "What a drag," he groaned. "What does she have?"

"Hm?" Gaara didn't seem to understand the question.

"What sickness does she have?" Shikamaru clarified.

"Ah, I do not know." Gaara said, "I haven't had any contact with her since she announced she was ill."

"Yeah," Kankuro added through a mouthful of food, "We learned a long time ago to not mess with Temari when she's sick. She's _miserable_."

Shikamaru sighed and rubbed his forehead with both palms. "Hmm..." he tried to think of what to do. The answer came pretty quickly. He looked up from his hands. "Where does she live?"

Kankuro paused in the middle of eating and glared at the Konoha-nin. "Oioi, why should we tell you that? What if you try something indecent while Temari is too sick to properly say no?"

Shikamaru glared back. "Don't insult me."

"Easy, Kankuro," Gaara said quietly, "I trust Shikamaru, and his intentions." The corners of his mouth pulled up slightly, "though I honestly don't know how happy she'll be to see you in her state."

"It's a risk worth taking," Shikamaru admitted, "I miss her."

Kankuro scoffed, "Gross, he's like a love-sick puppy."

Both of them ignored the puppeteer. Gaara reached for a piece of paper and wrote down her address. "She lives not far from here," he said offering the paper to Shikamaru, who quickly took it. "Good luck."

Shikamaru nodded. "Goodbye Kaze-er, Gaara, Kankuro."

He left and made his way to Temari's place.

* * *

Shikamaru knocked on the door of what he assumed was Temari's place. It was a cute little building, smaller than he would have imagined for the daughter and sister of Kazekage's. It was made of sandstone, just like the rest of the city, though there was a small flowerbox on the windowsill with beautiful flowers dotted throughout.

He waited about two minutes before knocking again. Thirty seconds later, he tried the handle. Locked.

"No problem," Shikamaru muttered, trying not feel creepy as he used his shadows to unlock the door to his girlfriend's apartment.

He stepped inside to a rather messy kitchen. Several pots and pans were in the sink, dirty, and there was a plate of barely-touched food on the kitchen table.

Shikamaru closed the door and made his way into the living room, which was tidy. He spotted a staircase and cautiously ascended it. Deciding it would be safer to make as much noise as possible as to not frighten a sick and irritable Temari into an attack, he called out "Oi, Temari?"

He heard nothing as he reached the top of the steps, but at the end of the hallway was an open door which led in to what was obviously her bedroom. There he saw a lump under the covers of the bed and his pulse quickened.

"Oi, Temari!" He called, careful not to be too loud as he walked down the hallway. "Uh, I'm here. Surprise?"

The lump under the bed stirred slightly as he entered the threshold. Temari turned over and Shikamaru had to bite back a laugh.

She looked _awful_. She had bags under eyes and a shining red nose. Her hair was undone and her lips were chapped. She was clammy and pale and her normally bright eyes were dull and half-asleep.

Recognition flickered across her face and she squinted at him. She must have decided he wasn't real because she sighed and closed her eyes, turning her back to him and squirming restlessly.

"I'm actually here, y'know."

Temari froze so fast Shikamaru had to actually pinch his arm to keep from laughing. She turned back over in her bed to look at him, eyes wide. "Wha? Huh?!" She sat up quickly, but immediately clutched her head and groaned. "Aggh, oh my _God_. Shikamaru, what the _hell_ are you doing here?" Her voice was hoarse and thick. Her face had turned bright red, either from fever or embarrassment Shikamaru couldn't tell,and she quickly drew her blankets over herself so only her eyes and nose were visible, and those eyes were currently narrowed at Shikamaru in anger.

"Uh, surprise?" Shikamaru offered, wincing under her glare. "I came to see you."

Her glare softened slightly and Shikamaru felt better. "Why?" she said between coughs.

Shikamaru shrugged, still not looking away from her eyes. "Because I wanted to. See you, that is."

Even from the very little of Temari's face that he could see, he could tell she had blushed and he smirked. He walked over to her bed and sat on the end, but she instantly made a noise of protest and scooted as far from him as she could. "What's the matter?" He asked, instantly standing, not wanting her to be uncomfortable.

"N-nothing," she stammered, still wrapped in her blankets, "It's just...I'm...I'm gross, right now...you shouldn't be near me. I'm sick."

Relieved that that was the only reason, Shikamaru instantly sat himself back down on the bed. "Oh? That's it? You're not gross."

"I know I'm not normally," Temari complained, "but I'm sick. This stupid flu has had me stuck at home for three days now, and I haven't started feeling better yet." She sneezed violently, making the bed shiver.

"Hmm, well that's a sob story and all, but I'm only here for three days," Shikamaru said, standing up from the bed. "So pull yourself together and take a shower so we can hang out. I'll cook you some food and we can get you feeling better again."

"You don't have to. I know you probably think its a drag," Temari croaked.

"Don't be troublesome, I wouldn't offer if I thought it was a pain," Shikamaru sighed, turning to the door. "See you soon."

He turned his head slightly as he closed the door, and just caught a glimpse of Temari, already out of bed, smiling softly as she slowly stumbled towards the bathroom in her thin shirt and panties.

Shikamaru instantly turned a dark crimson and accidentally slammed the door closed in his haste. Thanking all the gods in the world that Temari hadn't seen him, he quickly made his way downstairs, muttering things like "troublesome" and "that woman will be the death of me" as he busied himself with tea.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Shikamaru was dozing at the kitchen table when a fit of coughing from the living room startled him awake. He was at her side in a flash, helping her into the kitchen.

"I can do it myself," Temari told him irritably, smacking his offered hand aside.

She was currently in a lavender kimono with a red sash. Her hair was messily done into her normal hairstyle. Her face was still pale and she looked exhausted.

"Have it your way," Shikamaru shrugged as she collapsed onto a chair in the kitchen with another fit of coughing and sneezing.

"I made you some tea," he said, handing her the warm cup, "Drink up."

"Thanks," Temari said gratefully, taking the cup and shivering as she clasped it between her hands. "Jeeze, it's freezing in here."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, okay sick woman. It's like 90 degrees in here, you're nuts."

"Shut up," Temari whined, "it's really hot in here."

"Mmm," Shikamaru turned to the cabinets and began rifling around, "bad news, I have no idea how to cook any of this stuff." He turned back to Temari, "what the heck can you make with this stuff anyways?"

Temari, who was red-faced and avoiding his gaze, shrugged. "I dunno. Food. What're you, a garbage cook?"

Shikamaru tried not to sigh, "I can cook fine with ingredients I'm familiar with." He turned back to the cabinets and, after another futile look-over, gave up and returned to the table. "So, no food, then."

"That's fine, I'm not hungry." Temari said, still looking firmly at her teacup.

Shikamaru started to get a little nervous. He hadn't been expecting a big hug and jumping for joy when he showed up, but he thought she'd be a _little_ excited. Sure, she was sick, which probably had something to do with it, but he was hoping she'd be a little glad to see him.

"Err," he muttered, "I can just go, if you want."

Temari looked up at him quickly, "What? I-if you want, then fine."

"I don't want to leave," Shikamaru assured her, "you just..." he had to choose his next words carefully, he really didn't want to upset her, "seem like you kind of want to be alone right now."

Temari was silent for a second, and sweat started beading out across his face. When she finally did speak, he was relieved. "It means a lot to me that you came here, Shikamaru. I'm sorry if I don't seem excited that you're here it's just..." her face got even redder and she groaned, "this is just really embarrassing for me, okay?"

Shikamaru didn't understand, "Embarrassing? How?"

"Ugh, idiot! Are you really gonna make me explain it to you?" Temari asked, looking at Shikamaru angrily. She coughed loudly into her fist and took another sip of tea. "It's just...us being together, it makes me feel under a lot of pressure, okay? I don't want to mess it up, and having you come here when I'm cranky." she ignored his joking 'but you're always cranky', "and sick and nasty...I just don't want you to think different off me, I guess." She glared down at her tea. "It makes me feel weak."

Shikamaru chuckled, reaching out and grabbing the hand that wasn't clutching her tea with both of his. "For such a smart woman, that was a pretty dumb thing to say." She rolled her eyes, "come on Temari, do I really come across as that shallow? I don't really give a crap if you're sick or whatever. I came here to spend time with you and I'll do it no matter what you're like."

Temari, who had gone tomato red _once again_ after Shikamaru grabbed her hand, smiled slightly into her tea, "well, thanks."

Shikamaru let go of her hands and stood up, "and don't worry, I'm pretty sure its impossible for me to ever view you as weak."

She grinned up at him, "darn right." She tried to puff out her chest but ended up coughing loudly for ten seconds. She groaned and flopped forwards onto the table. "Ugh."

"C'mon, let's get you back to bed." He told her, "you're worse off than I realized. You should've stayed in bed."

Temari looked up at him tiredly, "eh, the shower made me feel a bit better, so that's something." she let out a yawn, "Sleep sounds good though."

This time she didn't protest as he offered his hand to her, and took it gratefully. She did make a squeak of surprise when he scooped her legs out from under her and began carrying her bridal style. "What's the matter?" he smirked down at her, "your face is awfully red, you must have some fever."

"Shut up," she grumbled as they got to her bedroom. He set her down on the bed and she quickly crawled beneath the sheets, shivering. Shikamaru sat himself down on the bed, frowning. "Cold again?"

She nodded, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.

"Do you have any other blankets?"

She shook her head.

Shikamaru sighed, bringing his hand up to her forehead. "Man, you're burning up. We might have to get a doctor or something if this keeps up."

"Nnnnn." Temari took his hand off her forehead and gave it a quick squeeze. "I'll be fine." She chattered. "I just wish I wasn't so cold."

"Hmmm," Shikamaru studied their joined hands. Cautiously, he brought her hand to his mouth and lightly pressed his lips to her knuckles.

Temari shot up as if electrocuted but didn't pull away. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked, breathless.

Shikamaru smiled and dropped her hand, "Warming you up," he said, gesturing to her blushing face and neck, "I made an educated guess."

Temari sank back between her pillows and rubbed her hand, "You're...you're...whatever." She huffed and looked away from him.

"Don't be a child," Shikamaru told her, rolling his eyes. "Get some sleep, hopefully when you wake up you'll be feeling better.

Temari slowly looked at him as he scooted off the bed and sat on the ground, back against the bed and staring out the door down the hallway. She gently placed her hand on top of his head and tugged lightly on his ponytail. "Thanks again for coming," she murmured as sleep started to take her, "and thanks for taking care of me."

"I'll always take care of you," he said, but she was already asleep. Deciding to also get some needed rest despite his uncomfortable position, he closed his eyes, and it wasn't long before sleep claimed him too.

* * *

Shikamaru woke hours later and Temari was still sleeping. He checked her temperature and was relieved to see her fever had broke while they slept. A little color had also returned to her face.

He went downstairs and got himself a glass of water. After gulping it down he grabbed another and brought it up to Temari. He located a notepad and a pencil and quickly scribbled out a note.

 _Temari,_

 _am heading to find food. You may not be hungry but I am. Be back soon. Drink the water._

 _-Shikamaru_

Satisfied, he headed out.

* * *

 **So that's the end of Chapter 1! Will post chapter 2 within a week or so, this'll probably be 3-5 chapters. Hope you all enjoy!**


	2. Dinner

**Wow, this got a lot of follows, I'm flattered! I hope you guys continue to enjoy!**

* * *

Shikamaru walked balk to Temari's apartment, a bag of groceries in each hand. Shopping had been uneventful. Night had now fallen and, in contrast to the Leaf Village, Suna felt desolate and poorly lit as he weaved his way through the narrow streets. The temperature was also dropping and he shivered as he got to Temari's door. He opened it with a shadow so he wouldn't have to adjust his bags and set the groceries onto the kitchen table.

"Oi, I'm back!" He called loudly, closing the door behind him and beginning to pull the groceries out of the bag. Halfway through he changed his mind and headed upstairs to check on Temari. She was pretty much the same, though she was now awake...and angry.

"Where the hell have you been?" She demanded from her bed, glaring at him under her covers even though he could swear he saw relief hidden in her eyes.

Shikamaru was startled, "I went out to buy some food...didn't you read my note?"

"No, where is it?" He pointed to the desk. "Idiot," she snapped, "you think I'm in any condition to get up and look at that? Even so how would I know it was there?"

Shikamaru exhaled through his nose. Hoping to diffuse the situation, he decided to play meek. "Sorry, you're right. I should've known."

"Damn right you should've," she grumbled, turning her back to him, "some genius."

 _What a drag,_ Shikamaru said inwardly, _I guess this is what Kankuro and Gaara meant when they said 'irritable'. Guess it was too much to hope for that she'd be less harsh around me._ Outwardly, he said, "are you hungry?"

"No," she snapped, her back still towards him, "I just want to get some more sleep. Go away."

Her words stung, and it was with a little heat in his voice that he replied. "Fine. Get better." He turned and left the room, slamming the door perhaps a little harder than he should have. He made his way down to the kitchen, hungry and cranky, and began fixing himself up a meal. He first turned on the stove and began cooking some beef. He also heated up a pot of water, which he dumped some ramen noodles into. It wasn't fancy, but it was easy and filling.

So he sat in Temari's kitchen, alone, eating ramen under the pale light, feeling sorry for himself.

He was eventually interrupted from his pity-party when he heard a fit of muffled coughing from the living room. Rolling his eyes, he continued to eat his ramen.

Eventually Temari dragged herself into the room, holding onto the wall for support. Her eyes were squinted against the dim light and she sniffed loudly. "That smells good," she mumbled, "what is it?"

"Ramen." Shikamaru said shortly, not looking at her.

"Where's mine?" she asked, and his eye actually twitched.

"You said you didn't want any," he reminded her, "...you also told me to go away." He added mildly, taking a kind of savage satisfaction as the shame appeared briefly on Temari's face.

"Yeah, well, I'm sick." She said defensively, going over to the table and all but collapsing onto a chair.

The Nara rolled his eyes, knowing better than to expect an apology from Temari. He said nothing and continued to eat.

"Would you make me some?" She finally asked. As if on que, her stomach grumbled loudly and pathetically.

He sighed, taking another bite before standing up. "I suppose." He walked past her towards the stove, but she caught his arm and he froze.

"I don't want you to go away," she said quietly, not looking at him. "Just so we're clear," She quickly let go of his arm and proceeded to sneeze messily into a tissue.

 _There she is, my princess._ Shikamaru thought dryly as his girlfriend inspected the tissue and winced. However, her words made him happy and he made his way to the stove and began cooking her some ramen in much better spirits.

"You're humming," Temari noted from the table as he flipped over the beef.

"Mm..." He stopped.

"Don't stop."

A smile pricked at the corner of his lips and he let the tune continue to flow from his mouth. He finished cooking her food and brought it over to her. She was once again red-face and not looking at him, mumbling a "Thanks," as she took the hot bowl and chopsticks. "It's not Ichiraku, but hopefully it'll get the job done," he said through a yawn, sitting across from her.

Temari took a bite. "It's good." She said, and took another bite.

Shikamaru just looked at her as she ate, soaking in how...Temari, she was. Even when sick as a dog, he had to fight the urge to just...hug and cuddle her. He choked back a snort on how he thought _that_ series of events would go if he tried it. Needless to say it involved a trip to the hospital and several wind-inflicted cuts.

Meanwhile, Temari's face was getting redder and redder as she stared determinedly at her ramen. Shikamaru took note of this and, before he could stop himself, said, "you're awfully cute when you're blushing, y'know that?"

Temari's eyes flicked to his face and, if possible, got even redder. "Th-thanks," she stammered out, "uh...you too?" she winced instantly and looked back down at her ramen.

Shikamaru just shook his head and smiled at her. "Oi, Temari, look at me."

Hesitantly, Temari raised her eyes and met Shikamaru's. He stared her dead in the eye and said gently, "Relax."

Temari seemed surprised by his words. "Re...relax?"

"Yeah!" Shikamaru said, leaning back in his chair. "I can tell you're nervous and there's no reason to be. I'm just here to hang out with you and take care of you."

"But I-"

"I know you're new to this," he cut her off with a knowing nod, "but so am I. Just do what feels natural. Don't let there be any pressure. There wasn't any before, when we were just friends."

"Do what feels natural?" Temari's eyes quickly flicked to his lips and then back to her ramen. She quickly took a bite. "I...don't know if that would be appropriate," she mumbled through her noodles.

It was Shikamaru's turn to blush as he took in the meaning of Temari's words. He smirked, "as if I'd kiss a sick person. Talk to me when you're feeling better, though."

Temari's eyes widened and she quickly buried her face in her hands and groaned, "you're going to end up killing me, y'know that? My heart can't take all this stress and embarrassment. I'm going to keel over."

Shikamaru chuckled and Temari uncovered her face and smiled at him, both still a little red in the face. Temari ate the last of her ramen and sighed in content. "Thanks for that," she told him as he got up and cleared their dishes.

"Of course." Shikamaru said with a smile, "it's nice to get to do boyfriend things for you."

"It's nice to have boyfriend things done for me," She admitted. She coughed into her sleeve and cleared her throat, "especially by you," she added.

"Oh? I bet I'm fulfilling your adolescent dreams, cooking you dinner in your kitchen," He joked, returning to join her at the table.

Temari rolled her eyes, but her returned blush betrayed her. "You wish. It wasn't that far back."

"I bet it was and you're lying," he teased.

"It _wasn't_." She said firmly.

"Really? It was for me." Shikamaru admitted almost off-handedly.

"It w-" Temari faltered and looked him curiously, "wait, really?"

"Oh yeah," He closed his eyes as a smile played on his lips. "Once you saved me from Tayuya, I knew I was in trouble. I'll never forget that smile you gave me. I tried to deny it as long as possible, but it never really worked..." he opened his eyes and stared at her curiously, "So when did it start for you?"

Temari put her hand to her chin and thought about it. "I mean, I thought about you a lot ever since our fight, but it was more of a 'I hate that arrogant jerk' thing."

Shikamaru nodded, "understandable."

"I dunno, I guess that time you came to escort me out of Konoha at the crack of dawn before the Chunin exams is when it really hit me, but if I'm honest it might even go as far back as the time we were at the Konoha hospital waiting to see if Choji would be ok."

Shikamaru was quiet as he remembered that day, the intense fear that he would lose his best friend and the pretty yet frosty girl sitting across from him, berating him. "I cried in front of you. I was so embarrassed after." They both laughed.

They fell into a comfortable silence which was quickly broken by a yawn from Temari.

"Alright, let's get you to bed," Shikamaru said, getting up from the table. Temari gave no protests as he scooped her up and carried her bridal style up the stairs to her bed. He deposited her on the bed and she settled in.

Once under the covers, she turned onto her side to look at him, knelt beside the bed with his elbow on her mattress and his chin resting on his hand. "Where are you staying?"

"I dunno," Shikamaru shrugged, "I kinda forgot to ask Gaara. Can I just stay on your couch?"

"Of course," Temari nodded, "I don't have any spare blankets though."

"I survived a war, I think I can tough it out on a couch with no blankets."

Temari nodded, "okay, great."

Shikamaru stood up and smiled at her, "goodnight then."

"Ah...actually," Temari looked up at him with...dare he say _bashful_ eyes? "Would you mind staying with me until I fall asleep? I normally don't have any company when I'm sick and having you here is...nice."

Shikamaru tried not to grin like an idiot and sat down on the bed next to her. He tentatively reached out and used his fingers to brush her bangs from her forehead.

Temari, red faced, nestled into her pillow and gave a little sigh of contentment. Shikamaru leaned against the headboard and removed his hand to put it behind his head.

"I don't think I said you could stop that," Temari mumbled sleepily.

"Troublesome woman," Shikamaru whispered back, returning his hand to continuously brush the hair from Temari's forehead. He looked down at her near-sleeping form and warmth flooded through his body. He took a mental picture.

"Goodnight, Shikamaru. Thanks for being here." She whispered.

"Goodnight, Temari."

* * *

 **Okay, so this is the end of day two. He has five more days before he has to be back in Konoha, but two of those days are travel time. So we've got what...anywhere from 6-8 more chapters of this I would guess. Hope you're all enjoying! Please leave a review if you are, they really motivate me!**


	3. Sleeping

**Okay, chapter three! Let's get it going!**

 **Once again a thank you to all the support :).**

* * *

Shikamaru groggily opened his eyes as the first rays of sunlight hit his closed eyelids. His neck was incredibly stiff as he had slept with his back and neck at a ninety-degree angle, on top of Temari's covers as his girlfriend snoozed next to him under the covers.

He cracked his neck and looked down at Temari. She was facing him, laying on her side with her hair splayed out all over the pillow and a small smile on her face. Her chest rose and fell peacefully as she slept, and Shikamaru resisted the urge to wake her with a kiss. Instead, he settled for putting a hand to her forehead to test her temperature, and was relieved to see that she was cooler, bordering on normal.

She stirred slightly under his touch, and then her eyelashes fluttered. She let out a loud, heavy yawn that quickly turned into a cough, which she unknowingly sprayed all over Shikamaru's hand.

Shikamaru wiped his hand on her bedsheets with a grimace, but that grimace quickly became a gentle smile as Temari's fully woke up. She stared up at him with puffy, sleepy eyes.

"Hey, good morning," he said softly.

Temari's face colored considerably, but she kept eye-contact and smiled back at him. "Morning." she murmured, rolling onto her back and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with the palms of both hands. She let out another undignified yawn that once again became a hacking cough and turned back onto her side to face him. "How'd you sleep? Was the couch awful?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Dunno, I fell asleep here."

"Tch, I thought we agreed you sleep on the couch, pervert." She didn't sound very angry.

"What can I say, taking care of you is very tiring," Shikamaru shot back, also teasing. "Besides, I think I would've rather slept on the the couch. My back is killing me because I fell asleep at a weird angle." As if to emphasize his point, he swung his legs off the bed and stood up, intending to crack his back.

That's when he knew something was wrong.

He was instantly aware of his pounding headache and he realized just how dry his mouth was. His legs felt like jelly and he nearly fell flat on his face. He sat back down heavily on the bed.

This did not go unnoticed by Temari. "What's wrong? She croaked to his back, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"

"I'm fine, just a head rush," Shikamaru said confidently, hoping that's all it was. _Take two,_ he thought as he stood up again. He was met with the same result and sat back down again with a groan.

"Headrush?" Temari asked sweetly, unable to keep the mocking tone out of her voice.

"How troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, more to himself, "don't tell me _I_ got sick too. What a heinous drag."

At this, Temari slowly sat up in bed. Sensing her movement, Shikamaru turned his body to face her and was met with his sick girlfriend attempting to put a hand to his forehead.

He leaned away from her. "What are you doing."

"I'm gonna test your temperature to see if you're actually sick," Temari told him. Shikamaru hated the adorable crease between her eyebrows as she furrowed her brow in concern. She reached further, and Shikamaru leaned back even further.

"No way. Sick people can't judge if people are sick. Besides, you touching me with your germy hands will just infect me anyways."

Temari kept on reaching, "Don't be a baby, I'm not contagious anymore." She was now on her knees, her face more irritated and stubborn than concerned, her weak body straining as she reached for his head.

Shikamaru was leaning back with his elbows on the bed, unsure whether he was annoyed or amused with the current events.

Temari was close now, and she lifted her knees in an attempt to get those extra few inches. Unfortunately her legs, which had barely been used in the past week, gave out at the sudden weight and she lurched forwards, right onto Shikamaru.

Shikamaru now found Temari lying on top of him. Both were blushing as their faces were inches apart. Her undone hair framed their faces and he could see the panic in her teal eyes and tried not to focus too much on the pleasant sensation of their chests touching.

He was hit with a very real urge to kiss her, and might have followed through with it had she not suddenly put both hands on his chest and lifted herself off him. She did a sort of half-roll, half-fall off of him and let out an ungodly sneeze, followed by a coughing fit.

Shikamaru laughed out loud, still lying on the bed, and stared at her, kneeling on the bed with her back to him as she coughed into her fist. He reached out with a heavy hand and rubbed her back as she hacked.

Eventually it subsided and she flopped back onto the bed. Their shoulders were touching and each had a head on a pillow as they looked up at the ceiling.

"Well, this sucks," Shikamaru said conversationally.

Temari flopped a cold hand onto his face and flapped it around a bit. "Sssh," she whispered through closed eyes, "the coughing gave me a headache and now noise hurts."

Shikamaru reached up and took Temari's wriggling hand off his face and gave it a squeeze. "I'm gonna go get us some water." He told her.

Temari nodded and put the hand that Shikamaru released over her eyes to block out the dim light.

Shikamaru stood up and was instantly plagued by his headache again. He shook his legs out and stumbled down the stairs, nearly eating shit a couple of times. He made it into the kitchen and filled two glasses of water. After chugging one and refilling it, he made his way back upstairs.

Temari was still on top of the sheets, head covered by her arm as she suffered. Shikamaru set his glass on her bedside table and tapped her arm wordlessly with his free hand.

She removed her hand from her face and saw the water. She took it and brought her other hand to Shikamaru's face, rubbing the side of his face gently in thanks before collapsing it back onto the sheet. She propped herself up and drank greedily, nearly draining the glass.

That's when Shikamaru finally got a good look at her and realized how...askew her kimono was. The sash was loose and the front was separated slightly. It wasn't anything too revealing, but he could see a decent amount of cleavage.

"Uh...your kimono's a little lopsided," he told her, determinedly looking at the ceiling.

Temari looked down at her chest and quickly rearranged the kimono. "Thanks," she told him, noticing the way he was determinedly looking at the ceiling. "What, don't see anything you like?" she was only half joking, and Shikamaru caught the tiny note of insecurity in her voice.

"Just the opposite, actually," he said, looking back at her with an embarrassed smile, "I just don't want to get beat up if you caught me glancing, that's all. Underestimating you is stupid, even if you are super sick."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Idiot," she coughed twice into her hand, "we're together now. I _hope_ you want to see that stuff."

"Oh?" Shikamaru saw the opportunity to tease her, but was distracted with the sudden increase of his headache. He quickly laid back down on the bed with a groan. "Ahhhhh...my head is killing me."

"This is all my fault," Temari said. "You shouldn't have come to take care of me."

"Don't be stupid," Shikamaru said, "of course I'd come."

Temari settled back down into bed and they were once again lying shoulder to shoulder, looking up at the ceiling.

They began a cycle of fretful dozing and miserable coughing and sneezing. Shikamaru in particular, having just caught the flu, was hit with a fever and had already lost his vest. Sweat shone on his face.

"Don't sweat on me," Temari warned, giving him a sideways glance from her side of the bed. She was faring better than Shikamaru was, being on the tail end of the sickness.

"It's not my fault it's so damn hot in here," Shikamaru said, frustrated.

"It's not hot in here, you're just hot." Temari complained, "I can feel the heat radiating off you. You're like an oven."

"If I wasn't so sick I'd thank you for the compliment."

"Shut up."

In a fit of frustration, Shikamaru shot up into a sitting position and grabbed at his shirt. He tore it off, gave his body a quick wipe with it, and threw it across the room. His hair-tie also came off. "Can we open a window or something? I'm roasting."

"If you open a window in the desert all you're gonna get is a lot of sand and even more heat." Temari said, tearing her gaze away from the ceiling to look at him at his sudden burst of movement. She saw his lack of shirt and her eyes widened. "Wh-what happened to your shirt?"

"It's hot," Shikamaru said it like it was obvious. Then, despite his ill mind he realized he was shirtless in the bed of his new girlfriend, and the reason of her outburst became clear. "Oh, I see. Uh, I can go to the couch if you want."

Temari removed her teeth from her bottom lip and forced herself to look up at his face. "Uh...no, I mean it's fine if you stay here. It doesn't bother me.."

"Thank God." Shikamaru sighed, "I dunno if I could've made it down to the couch." He turned onto his side to look at her. "Y'know, if you're going to stare, you could at least compliment me."

Temari looked back at his face, her tone sheepish, "Sorry..."

Shikamaru smirked at her, "Don't be." He let out a yawn, "ugh. I'm going to try and get some more sleep, okay? Will you be okay, can I get you anything?"

Temari smiled at him, "Idiot, I'm pretty sure you're feeling worse than me now."

Shikamaru was already asleep.

That suited Temari fine, she got to look all she wanted now.

He really was rather handsome, she decided.

* * *

Four hours later, Shikamaru woke up to a freezing cold hand against his chest, right between his pectoral muscles. The sudden cold contact made him jump and his headache responded by kicking his brain with a steel-toed boot.

"Ugtgruhg," he said smartly, looking around in a daze, "-mari? Z'goin on?"

He realized the hand on his chest was trembling and his focus sharpened. He saw Temari, wrapped up in her blankets, shivering violently. Her hand was hungrily pressing into his flesh and he realized she was-

"Freezing," she said in the closest thing he had ever heard to a whimper. "You're so warm," she added wistfully. "I didn't mean to wake you."

In contrast, her hand felt delightfully cool against his skin. Couple that with something he wanted to do anyways, he felt comfortable lifting an arm up and beckoning to her with it. "Come here?"

Temari didn't seem to understand, "huh?"

Since saying things hurt a lot, he wriggled his other arm out from underneath him and lifted both out to her. Unbeknownst to him, he painted quite the attractive picture with his loose hair, shirtless chest and sleepy eyes.

"O..oh..." In what could almost be described as eagerly, his girfriend scooted closer to him until he could lock his arms at her hips.. With a sigh of contentment, both from the coolness of her skin and the thought that he was finally cuddling with Temari, he dragged her closer to him until her back was pressed flush with his chest and they were spooning. He put his chin in the crook of her neck and breathed her in.

"You're so warm," she said happily, snuggling closer to him.

"You're so cool," he said, just as happy.

They fell back asleep, smiling despite the sickness.


	4. Reversal

**Time for chapter four! Hope you guys continue to enjoy the fluffiness. Also, if you like this please check out my other ShikaTema stories! I have three one-shots and on two-shot, all with different premises. Most are short and fluffy and ones a longer and more angsty.**

* * *

The moment Shikamaru opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't.

The dim light from the setting sun hurt his eyes and his head was throbbing as if a small child was repeatedly pounding it with their fist. His throat was parched and he was incredibly hot and uncomfortable. His throat hurt too and to top it off his foot itched. He remembered he had a glass of water on Temari's bedside table and despite the protests of his body he attempted to turn over and reach for the glass.

It sort of worked. He could move his hips and one of his arms, but his other arm was trapped under a weight. It took a split second to realize that this weight was a sleeping Temari.

He froze, unsure what to do. His arm was still pinned beneath her waist. She lay on her side with her back to him, sleeping peacefully. He was torn between going back to snuggling with her and quenching his thirst.

In the end his sensible part won out and he quickly slid his arm out from under Temari and grabbed the glass, relishing the liquid as it trickled down his throat even though it was rather warm.

The action of his arm grinding against Temari triggered an instinctive shinobi alarm which woke her from her slumber. She sat up quickly, a little confused, and saw Shikamaru drinking greedily from the glass. She watched as he finished the glass and flopped back onto bed with a groan.

"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly. Shikamaru opened an eye and gave her a look that said plenty. _Look at me, I'm the picture of health..._

"Awful, huh?" He had never heard her voice sound so sympathetic, and that in itself made him feel a little better. "I'm sorry for getting you sick." She put a cool hand on his forehead and he sighed in relief.

He gently placed a hand on top of the one on his forehead and exhaled loudly. _It's not your fault._

"It is my fault, though," she protested, and he loved how she understood him so well without having to speak.

She began absentmindedly running her fingers up into his scalp from his forehead, which felt divine. They stayed that way for a few minutes, him dozing and in pain, lying in bed, with her sitting on her knees next to him, stroking his hair with a furrowed brow.

Eventually he found the strength to croak out: "How are you feeling?"

"Better, much better actually," she said, and her fingers stopped moving, though they remained on his head. "I think I'm finally over this sickness, though I'm still a little sore."

Shikamaru managed a small smile, "Well I'm glad."

Temari sucked her teeth and her fingers resumed their trail up and down the top of his head. "Idiot."

"What'd I do now?" he sighed, but when he looked up he saw she was smiling at him, and he relaxed. He reached for his water glass but was disappointed to find it empty. The glass was quickly snatched out of his hand by Temari.

"Now it's my turn to take care of you," she said, managing to sound comforting and menacing at the same time, "I'll be right back with some water."

"I can get it myself," he lied through his teeth.

She just laughed at him, "Hm? I thought the woman was supposed to take care of the man anyways, eh?" she teased.

Shikamaru didn't have an answer to that so he ignored her, and she smirked victoriously as she left the room to get him more water. She came back quickly, and had even put in ice in the water. He resisted the urge to hug her and weep, relishing the cool water as he hydrated himself.

"Are you hungry?" She asked as he put the empty glass on the beside table. Her response was him reaching out and hugging her around the middle, letting his weight drag her down onto the bed with him.

"O-oi, what're you doing?" she asked, her face aflame as he rested his forehead in the crook of her neck.

"Thanks," he mumbled.

"It was just water," she protested, gradually relaxing into the embrace.

"Not that, thanks for dating me," He clarified, looking up from her neck to smile at her.

Temari bit her lip and looked away, hiding a smile herself. "what's got you so sappy all of a sudden, eh? Not very manly of you."

Shikamaru laughed and gave her a final squeeze before letting go. "Chalk it up to the fever then. And to answer your question, I'm not hungry."

As if on cue, Temari's stomach growled loudly and she stood up. "Yeah? Well I'm starving, so I'm going to go get something to eat."

"What happened to taking care of me?"

"Tch, I offered you food but you don't want anything," she said as she walked to the exit. "I'll be back soon, just shout if you need me for something."

Shikamaru said nothing as Temari left and decided to get some more sleep while his girlfriend ate. His headache was only getting worse and the cold water had left him with a chill he couldn't shake. He nestled under Temari's blankets and attempted to get some sleep, but the sleep evaded him. Temari's room seemed desolate and empty without her in it and Shikamaru was hit with an unusual pang of loneliness. He tried to ignore it and doubled his attempts to sleep, but remained unsuccessful.

 _Since when do I have trouble sleeping?_ Shikamaru thought as he stared blankly at the ceiling. _What a drag._

After another five minutes of this suffering, he finally had enough and threw off the blankets. He swung his legs out and shakily stood up, ignoring the pain in his head and his fuzzy vision. Still freezing, he grabbed the blanket from Temari's bed and wrapped it around himself before padding towards the door. He stumbled his way downstairs into the living room, where he heard Temari cooking something in the kitchen. He made his way to the doorway between the kitchen and living room and popped his head into the kitchen, "Oi, Temari."

Temari, who had her back to him at the stove, jumped slightly and turned, worry in her eyes. "Shikamaru? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he told her, "I'm just gonna hang on your couch."

She relaxed, "Idiot, I thought something was the matter. What's wrong with the bed?"

"Hmmmm," Shikamaru was too embarrassed to tell her that she was too far away for his liking so he just moved back into the living room, settling himself on the couch. The smell of cooking food and the sound of her bustling in the kitchen helped him relax, and he didn't realize he dozed off until she joined him on the couch, a steaming bowl of something clutched between her hands.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked as she started eating.

Shikamaru shook his head. He looked sideways as Temari dug into her food, marveling at the fact that just by looking at her and being near her he felt a little bit better, like the sickness wasn't quite able to make him as miserable as if she weren't there.

After she finished her food she put the bowl on the coffee table and sighed in content, patting her stomach. "That really hit the spot."

Shikamaru didn't respond. About halfway through Temari's meal he had curled himself into a ball to try and ward off the nonexistent cold.

"Oi, you're freezing," Temari noticed, looking around her cute living room, "I don't have any extra blankets either."

"I'm f-f-f-ine," he chattered out, his eyes vacant. "Just leave me out to freeze. Tell my mom I loved her."

At this, she merely rolled her eyes, "Don't be a crybaby, Crybaby."

"But it's cold." he whined.

Temari rolled her eyes, "Maybe you should've put your shit on, idiot."

It was true, he was still shirtless, though he hadn't even noticed. "My shirt was dirty," he made up an excuse, "I didn't want to put on a dirty shirt."

"And you didn't pack any other shirts?"

Shikamaru deigned not to answer that, because he had in fact packed other shirts.

"Why don't you take a shower then? You could probably use one anyways, and it'll definitely warm you up."

 _A shower,_ Shikamaru thought, _yeah, that could work_. He half grunted, half moaned in agreement and tried to stand up, but stumbled and would've fallen flat on his face if Temari hadn't grabbed him around the middle.

"Whoa, easy there." She said gently, "C'mon, I'll help you."

With Temari's assistance, she guided him upstairs and into the bathroom.

"That's all the help you're getting from me," Temari said pointedly as he sat heavily on the closed toilet, holding his aching head in his hands. She left and quickly returned with a dry, fluffy towel, which she tossed onto his head. It drooped over his upper half and he couldn't be bothered to remove it.

Temari stood there and watched him, expecting him to eventually pull the towel off his head and get showering, but after ninety seconds of waiting she grew impatient and yanked the towel off of him. "Oi, lazy boy, get moving."

She was met with some soft snoring. He had fallen asleep on her toilet.

She held back a laugh and gently poked his shoulder. He jerked awake, "whuzzgoinon?" he said drowsily, looking at her.

"Shower?" she questioned, eyes twinkling.

Shikamaru let out a yawn, still disoriented, "Well...I mean ok...but you don't think it's a little too quick to start showering together?"

Blood rushed to Temari's face and the only thing preventing her from smacking his head was knowing how much actual pain a smack to Shikamaru's sick head would cause him. "Idiot, wake up and realize what you just said." She said calmly.

Shikamaru stared at her, confused. Temari felt satisfaction as the realization hit his eyes and his cheeks colored. "Sorry," he apologized, "I'm a little out of it."

"Obviously," she scoffed, heading out of the bathroom.

Shikamaru turned the water on and set it to very hot. He stripped off his pants and underwear and stepped into the shower, letting out a sigh of relief as the hot water warmed him to the core. He sat there for a minute before deciding to clean himself. He grabbed the nearest brightly colored bottle of fruity-smelling shampoo and squeezed a glob into his hand. He rubbed his hands together, letting the suds emerge, and ran it through his hair. He finished washing himself and allowed himself a few minutes to relax in the hot water. Relax...relax...his eyes began to close.

* * *

Temari finished washing the dishes and finally faced the fact that Shikamaru had likely fallen asleep in the shower. Who knew how long he'd sleep there and she sure as hell didn't want to pay the money to have the hot water running for hours on end.

However...that meant she had to go into the bathroom, while he was asleep and naked. Just the though made heat crawl all over her body and she swallowed thickly, tossing a pair of rubber gloves under the sink. She stomped her way up the stairs and started by banging on the door. "Oi! It's been forty-five minutes! Hurry up!"

No response.

"Shikamaru, don't make me come in there," she warned him, knowing full well he probably couldn't hear her what with the noise of the running water and him being, y'know, asleep. Nevertheless, she pounded and yelled some more before finally opening the door, her eyes on the floor. Thanking every possible deity that there was a shower curtain blocking her view efficiently, she raised her voice and said again, "Oi! Shikamaru! Wake up!"

There was a second of silence before she heard someone yawn loudly. "Sorry," he said from behind the shower curtain. Said curtain was then shifted to the side and his dripping head poked out the side. "How long was I out?"

Temari's back was firmly turned to him, but he could see that her ears were bright red. "Whatever, just don't fall asleep again." She slammed the door behind her and Shikamaru chuckled. He switched the water off and stepped out, grabbing the towel she had left him and quickly patting at his hair. Once it was no longer dripping, he toweled off the excess water and wrapped it around his waist. He opened the door and stepped out into Temari's bedroom.

Temari, laying on her bed reading something off a scroll, turned to him as he exited, no doubt with some scathing remark prepared, but the words died on her lips as she took in his appearance.

"What?" He asked her as he crossed the room and headed downstairs, intending to grab the clothes from his backpack which was in her living room.

"Where are your clothes?" She stammered, eyes following him as he walked.

"They're in the bathroom, I just decided to stroll around your house in nothing but a towel," Shikamaru deadpanned, a smirk playing at his lips, "they're downstairs."

Temari shook her head slightly and sighed before going back to her scroll, and Shikamaru continued on his way. Once he had located and retrieved his clothes, he walked back upstairs and back into the bathroom. He changed into some new clothes, comfortable black sweatpants and a plain grey t-shirt, before balling up his dirty clothes in his wet towel and leaving the bathroom again.

He was feeling better after the shower. His headache had faded slightly and he was no longer cold. He was still sore and extremely tired but he dared hope he'd be better by tomorrow. He had always been quick to get over sicknes. He lifted up the ball of wet and dirty clothes and showcased it forTemari. "Oi, where do I put this?"

Temari's eyes flicked to him and then back to her scroll, "Hamper." She said simply, pointing to a corner of the room. Shikamaru's arms flicked out and the damp bundle sank neatly into the hamper with a satisfying _swish_. The action caught Temari's attention and she smiled at him, "feeling better?"

"A little," he answered, walking over to the bed and flopping onto it. He hadn't bothered to put his hair back up so it splayed messily all around him. "What are you doing?"

"Catching up on work, I've missed a lot." She told him, worry lines appearing between her eyes.

Shikamaru did not like that answer. "But I'm here," he whined, sounding very much like a child, "can't that wait until I'm gone?"

Temari sighed but continued reading the scroll, "It's not like we can go out anywhere, you're still sick. I might as well be productive if we're stuck here."

"We could talk about ourselves," Shikamaru suggested, "you know, have deep romantic talks late into the night until we eventually fall asleep staring into each others eyes?"

Temari jerked her head up and looked at him with such an incredulous expression that Shikamaru burst out laughing. She relaxed upon seeing he was kidding but slugged him on the shoulder nonetheless. "Well if you have any non-ridiculous ideas I'm all ears, but otherwise I'm going to be productive."

Shikamaru wracked his tired brain but had to admit there wasn't much he was up for besides sleeping. "I guess I'll just sleep then," he said, trying not to sound like he was sulking. "Maybe I'll be better by tomorrow and we can go out and I can take you on a proper date."

The corner of her mouth pulled up, "that sounds nice." She sat up in the bed and repositioned herself so she was sitting on her knees. She reached over Shikamaru and grabbed two scrolls on the bedside table and put them next to her, before beckoning to him.

"What?" He asked her, his pulse quickening.

She tapped her knees and mimed petting a cat, "I'm going to hold the scroll in one hand and play with your hair with the other so get over here."

Well, he sure as hell didn't have to be told twice. He sighed happily as he rested his head on her lap. She unfurled one scroll and laid it out on the bed. Her other hand fiddled with his hair.

"You like my hair," he accused her sleepily.

"And you like my fingers, so we're even," She countered.

"Hmph, troublesome woman." He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Goodnight, Shikamaru. I hope you feel better."

He drifted off into sleep as her fingers ran shapes on his scalp, and his last thought was that it couldn't quite get better than this.

* * *

 **Okay, so next chapter we'll finally have these two feeling better and out of the house. This marks the end of day three and next chapter will be the start of day four, so we'll have two days of healthy ShikaTema fun. Please review if you guys enjoyed, I love writing this couple!**


	5. Shopping

**Sorry for the long wait, I've had a CRAZY couple of weeks. Hope you guys enjoy!**

* * *

Shikamaru woke up to the shifting of Temari's knees under his head. The first thing he registered was that he was feeling quite a bit better. He lifted his head off of Temari's lap and looked at her in the dim light as she readjusted herself. "What time is it?" He croaked out.

Temari just shook her head and brushed the scrolls off the bed onto the floor.

 _It must be super late since she doesn't want to tell me,_ Shikamaru thought, _troublesome woman, putting work before sleep..._ He noted how tired she looked as she slowly crawled underneath the sheets and he felt a warm fuzzy feeling spread throughout his body. He scooted under the covers again and wrapped his arms around her waist without hesitation.

Her response was to press her head into his chest and give a little sigh.

"You work too much," he whispered.

"And you don't work enough, lazy." she whispered back.

They were both asleep within minutes.

* * *

The following morning they awoke in each others arms, tired but healthy.

Temari showered and Shikamaru dozed in bed. When she was finished they both headed downstairs.

"So," Temari said, clad in a simple white blouse with a knee-length black skirt and black shoes, "where do you want to get breakfast?"

Shikamaru, dressed in his standard outfit, let out a large yawn and looked at her with tired eyes. "Doesn't really matter, it's been a while since I've been in Suna so I don't really know which places are good. Just take me to your favorite place."

Temari leaned against the kitchen table and tapped her fingers against the wooden surface. "Well, there is a place that has good coffee. Breakfast stuff is decent too."

"Coffee sounds good," Shikamaru agreed. "Let's go."

The two exited Temari's apartment and began walking down the street. Shikamaru did not deign to take Temari's hand and Temari said nothing about it, though the slight crease between her eyebrows showed that she did indeed take notice of Shikamaru's inaction.

The place they were going to eat, a small, clean place named _Taboyaka_ , was only about a mile away and took them little time to get to. They ordered coffee and bagels and sat down at one of the tables inside.

"So," Temari's tone was business-like and instantly made Shikamaru uneasy. However, no more words followed, and he noticed that her jaw was moving like she wanted to say something, but her mouth remained closed.

"What's up?" He asked, a little nervous at her bizarre behavior. "...everything ok?"

She swallowed thickly, "it's just...you didn't..." her cheeks flushed and she huffed in annoyance, beginning to gesticulate with her hands as if that made talking easier. "Y'know..." her voice became hushed, " _hold my hand_ ," her voice became normal volume level again, "like at Naruto's wedding. I just..." she trailed off, "I dunno...I guess I'm just wondering why."

Shikamaru was a bit thrown by this, but his trusty brain allowed him to catch up quickly. "Oh, I just figured since it was your village I'd let you call the shots." He said, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, "y'know, you're a princess here. It's different in Konoha where I'm the "genius" of Konoha or whatever and you're a well-known Sunan friend. Here though, you're Lady Temari of the Desert, scariest woman in the country. I dunno if you want some lowly Konoha Jounin waltzing through town with you, it might piss off suitors and the whole thing is such a drag. Not to mention it-"

"You're rambling," Temari cut him off, and Shikamaru closed his mouth, grateful for the interjection. She sighed and mirrored her boyfriends position, arms crossed and leaning back. "I dunno why you're thinking that. You really think I care what other people think?"

"No, but I think you have a lot of pride in yourself." He countered.

Temari raised an eyebrow at that. "Fair enough," she conceded, "but still, don't you _want_ to hold my hand?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, exasperation starting to creep into his voice. "Of course I do, but again I didn't want to risk causing some political turmoil just because I want to show off my amazing girlfriend."

Temari stared at him for a second before grinning toothily. "Good answer."

Shikamaru smirked at her, "I'll be sure to not let go of you for the entire way back, ok?"

"Good."

"Oh you dearies," came a new voice. A tiny elderly woman with two coffees and bagels toddled over to their table with a kind smile. "You make a lovely couple. It's nice to see you finally found a man, Temari."

Temari instantly turned crimson and offered a pained but genuine smile. "Thank you, Tomoko-san. This is Shikamaru Nara. Shikamaru, this is Tomoko, a friend of mine."

"Hmm, yes, I've heard you talk about him before," The old lady set the food and drinks on the table and turned to Shikamaru. "You better treat her right," she said, sounding somewhat menacing despite her tiny size. "She's not as tough as she seems."

Shikamaru was taken aback and nodded. "O-of course, Tomoko-san, I wouldn't dream of it."

"Hmmm," Tomoko gave Shikamaru the stink-eye for another couple of seconds before retreating back behind the counter, leaving the two alone.

"I'm sorry about that," Temari whispered, still blushing.

"Don't be," Shikamaru said easily, "I think its sweet, picturing you in here by yourself talking to old ladies since you're lonely."

Temari kicked him in the shin under the table. "She's one of the few people who didn't treat me different just because I've got Kazekage blood." She said defensively. "Besides, she means well."

"I know, I know," he said, taking a sip of the coffee. "I wasn't being sarcastic, I do think its nice." He took another sip.

"It's good, huh?" Temari took a sip of her own.

"Yeah, it's good," he said, not thinking it was particularly special but not wanting to hurt her feelings. "So what do you want to do today?"

Temari took a bite of her bagel and chewed it thoughtfully, her eyes staring at the wall behind him. "Hmm...I dunno if you'll like it, its kind of stupid."

Shikamaru gave her a look that read 'seriously?' and she smirked. "Yeah, I figured you wouldn't care." She took another bite, "I just kinda wanna walk around town together. Get some food, do a little shopping, and just act like normal people. It's peace time so we don't have to act like shinobi 24/7."

"Weren't you stressing all night at work though?" Shikamaru pointed out, "and now you want to spend the day doing nothing?" seeing her expression, he quickly added, "not that I don't want to go, but I think it might be risky if you have a bunch of stuff to do. I don't want Gaara to start hating me."

He was met with a dismissive hand wave. "Don't worry. The reason I was up so late last night was so I could make time to do this."

"Aww, aren't you the romantic?"

A scowl appeared on her face, "shut up."

The two finished their meal and then it came time to discuss the bill.

"I'm paying," they said at the same time. Both frowned and said in unison, " _I'm_ paying. No, I am!"

Temari poked him on the forehead. "I'm the one who took you out here, Nara."

"And I'm the man, the guy is supposed to pay on dates."

Temari rolled her eyes, "do you _really_ think that logic will work on me?"

Shikamaru sighed and stood up, "Fine, when the bill comes you can pay. Where's the bathroom in this place?"

Temari pointed to the back corner of the little cafe with a victorious smirk.

Shikamaru stood up and made his way to the corner, but instead of taking a left to go to the bathroom he veered right into the kitchen. There he saw the elderly couple. The man was making food and Tomoko was crouched over a small table filing through some paper work. She looked up as he entered.

"Ah, Shikamaru, can I help you?"

"Yes, actually." Shikamaru reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, "I was just hoping to pay the tab."

"Hmm, Temari wanted to pay huh?" The old man chimed in, "let me guess, you're 'in the bathroom' right now?"

Shikamaru gave an awkard grin and rubbed the back of his neck. "More or less..."

"Hmm, that's very chivalrous of you, and I won't deny you if you persist, but maybe you should think about it." Tomoko told him.

Shikamaru blinked. Think about it? What was there to think about?

Seeing that he was stuck, Tomoko continued, "What do you think will make _her_ happier? Getting to pay for your meal or you sneaking back here to pay the bill when she wants to?"

That pulled him up short. _But paying for her would make ME happy_ is what he wanted to say, but the moment he thought it he knew it was wrong. Relationships were about giving ground when need be, and this was definitely a situation where he could let her have her way for the sake of her happiness.

As he closed his wallet, Tomoko's eyes twinkled. "Looks like you really _are_ a smart one. Temari wasn't lying."

Shikamaru felt his cheeks flare up and found the words escaping his mouth before he could stop them. "Does she talk about me often?"

Tomoko chuckled and went back to her papers. "She's mentioned you here and there over the years. You had quite a few horrible nicknames early on but I could tell she warmed to you quickly."

Shikamaru goofy smile said it all, and he hurried back to his table and the unsuspecting Temari. A few minutes later Tomoko came with the check and Shikamaru admired Temari's radiant smile as she paid for the meal. She even let Shikamaru pay the tip, which he did so generously.

"Come back soon, dearie!" Tomoko called as the two left, "and bring him along too!"

"Will do! Thanks again!" Temari called. The two were now out on the Sunan street. Shikamaru quickly took Temari's hand in his as they walked down the street.

"It's a cute place." Shikamaru said as they walked, relishing in the earnest grin she gave him.

"Isn't it? Most of the elderly Sunan people are crabby and wary of people, but they're an exception."

They walked in silence for a little longer. They were definitely receiving a few astonished looks from passerby which became only more common the closer they got to the center of the city.

"I can't believe people care so much," he muttered to her as they walked.

"What, this doesn't happen to you in Konoha?" He shook his head, "Even to people like Naruto?"

Shikamaru shook his head again, "Nah, everyone has known Naruto since he was a little kid. It must just be a cultural thing. We don't really have the 'royalty' you guys do."

Temari nodded and slid a little closer to Shikamaru so that their shoulders were touching. "Well, let's get shopping."

* * *

And so the hours passed under the sweltering sun. They went from shop to shop and stopped at a restaurant for lunch. Temari was predictably and understandably reserved out in public, something which Shikamaru was perfectly okay with as he was never really one for public displays of affection.

The sun began to set and Shikamaru and Temari were at their last stop, a little clothing shop. Temari was searching for a new pair of pajamas and Shikamaru was secretly doing the same whilst feigning indifference.

Currently he was sitting outside the changing room, waiting for Temari to come out so he could go in. He had picked out a nice pair of forest green pajamas, the kind with the button up shirt and super loose pants.

After what seemed like ages the door opened and Temari strode out clad in pajamas similar to his. They were a lovely lavender color with the button up shirt and loose pants, except her pants were loose at the hips and the shirt was much more fitting.

"How do they look?" She asked curiously. She wasn't striking any kind of pose, just standing there like a normal person, but Shikamaru thought she looked sinfully good. He snuck what he hoped was a discreet glance down at her sizable chest against the form fitting shirt and flicked his eyes back up to her face. The blush on her face said she noticed his wandering eyes and he felt himself heat up as well.

"They look amazing," he stammered out. " _You_ look amazing," he corrected in a quieter tone.

She noticed the pajamas in his lap and smirked, "are you really gonna get matching pajamas? That's so dorky."

Shikamaru looked at the PJ's and shrugged. "So what if I am?" he challenged. "Maybe I think matching PJ's are cute, is that a problem?"

She seemed surprised by his answer. "Well, no, not really. You just don't strike me as the kind of guy that would want to wear matching stuff with his girlfriend."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I like the PJ's so if they fit well I'm going to buy them. That's it."

Temari huffed and turned on her heel, stalking back into the changing room. "Hurry up then, I want to get back home." Within seconds she was back in her normal attire and ushering him into the changing room.

 _What a drag._ He thought as he tried on the pajamas, which fit nicely.

"You want to go home?" He asked her as he left the changing room, "I wanted to take you out to a nice dinner."

"We can do that tomorrow," Temari said dismissively, "We'll have a more relaxing day since it's your last day here and then we'll cap it off with a nice dinner."

Shikamaru couldn't argue with that, so they paid for their pajamas and walked out into the night air. This time, instead of taking her hand, he smoothly slid his arm around her waist and pulled her close as they walked back to her place.

She made no comment but failed to hide her smile.

As they walked, Shikamaru realized that for the first time in a while he was _actually_ happy, and that there was no looming cloud of darkness over him. He looked down at Temari and couldn't believe that the bratty, arrogant little girl he had met almost ten years ago could make him feel this way.

They turned a corner and onto her street. The sandstone buildings loomed over them in the narrow alleyway, which was warmly lit by torches. Shadows danced across the smooth walls as they neared her door.

She turned her head and caught him staring at her. Her head tilted slightly to the side and he could see the faintest hint of concern in her eyes as she looked up at him. "What is it?"

In response, he leaned in slowly and deliberately. He kept his eyes open to judge her reaction but was pleased to see that despite the initial flash of panic and surprise she quickly leaned in as well.

Their lips touched gently and without much pressure and lasted only a moment, but to Shikamaru it was priceless.

She pulled away first, and Shikamaru couldn't stop the little grunt of displeasure.

"Sorry," she muttered softly, "holding hands in public is one thing, but my brothers might actually have an issue if word gets out we're making out in public."

"That was _not_ making out," Shikamaru said grumpily as they walked to herdoor, but his goofy smile betrayed his true feelings.

Keys jingled in the lock as Temari opened the door. "Oh? How would you know? Have a lot of practice?"

"No," Shikamaru said dully, unamused by her implication, "it's just the definition of the term," he shut the door behind him and turned to look at her. "That was a-" He was cut off as her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and she kissed him full on the mouth. Unlike the last kiss, this one was heavy and messy and the opposite of tender. Shikamaru's back hit the closed door and he struggled to not fall over.

After fifteen seconds Temari broke the kiss again and inhaled loudly. "That good enough for you?" She asked impishly.

Shikamaru stared down at his girlfriend; at her heaving chest, crimson face, mischievous eyes, messy hair and broad grin.

Yep, nothing but trouble, and Shikamaru was loving every minute.

* * *

 **Please review if you enjoyed! Probably two, maybe three more chapters of this. Ciao!**


	6. Feelings

**Hey guys, time for another chapter! Sorry it took me a while, it's been crazy busy. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Both Shikamaru and Temari were quite fond of the newly-discovered activity of kissing, and spent the next thirty minutes on her couch making out.

Eventually, as expected, the kissing was interrupted by a yawn from Shikamaru.

Temari pulled away and took a deep breath, teasing smirk plastered on her face. "Oh? Is someone tired?"

"I had a long day," Shikamaru said through another yawn. "Besides, it's gotta be like two in the morning."

Temari rolled her eyes. "It's only eleven-thirty..."

Shikamaru stood up and stretched. "Perfect time for bed then."

"You're an old man," Temari sighed, also standing up. "I need to take a shower so go brush your teeth and all that stuff so you don't fall asleep without doing it."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as they walked up the stairs. "Okay _mom_."

"Make all the snide comments you want," Temari shot back haughtily, "but if you think I'll kiss you tomorrow morning with awful breath you've got another thing coming."

"..." Shikamaru was silent as they arrived at the second floor and moseyed on into Temari's room, but he quickly entered the bathroom and brushed his teeth and relieved himself. He exited to see Temari leaning against the wall, fresh clothes and towel draped over her shoulder as she tapped a foot impatiently.

"Don't wait up," she smirked, nudging Shikamaru in the ribs as he walked by her.

Shikamaru face flopped onto the bed, not even getting under the covers, "wasn't planning on it," he said with his face mashed into the pillow.

Temari went inside and shut the door. Soon the sound of running water filled the room and Shikamaru couldn't help but imagine what Temari showering looked like. He smashed his face further into his pillow and groaned anxiously. He got up and changed into his pajamas just go have something to do. He flopped back onto the bed and put a pillow over his head, but couldn't fall asleep despite how tired he was.

He lost track of how much time passed before the water turned off. He turned over and glanced up as Temari exited the bathroom clad in nothing but a towel. They both made noises of surprise and embarrassment.

"Wh-what are you still doing awake?" She stammered out, placing her hands on her hips.

Shikamaru shielded his eyes even though Temari was perfectly decent. The towel covered up to the very top of her chest and ended around mid-thigh, but despite the modesty he couldn't help but blush furiously. "I just haven't fallen asleep yet! What are _you_ doing in a towel? You brought clothes into the bathroom with you!"

Temari rolled her eyes. "You don't have to shield your eyes, sheesh. I saw you in a towel the other day."

Shikamaru slowly lowered his hands from in front of his eyes. "Yeah...but I don't have..." he paused.

"Have what?" She pressed, eyebrows rising up on her forehead dangerously.

"...girly bits."

Temari blinked and then laughed. "You are _such_ a weenie."

Shikamaru ignored the jibe and repeated his earlier question. "Why aren't you dressed? You brought clothes with you."

Temari walked over to the bedside table and opened the drawer, pulling out a small tube. "I forgot my lotion."

"You use lotion? How girly."

"Well I _am_ a girl." She responded scathingly, heading back to the bathroom. "I've got the bits and everything, you said so yourself." She slammed the door behind her.

Shikamaru didn't think much of it and continued dozing off until she opened the door ten minutes later. She was dressed in the pajamas she had just bought and still had an angry look on her face. He pointedly ignored the angry look and the way she just stood in the bathroom doorway until she couldn't take it anymore.

"Why don't you sleep on the couch?"

Shikamaru raised his head slightly off the pillow to look at her. "I would, but the couch is so far away."

She approached the edge of the bed, still standing. Her expression didn't change.

Shikamaru sighed and hoisted himself into a sitting position. Time to go into 'fix things' mode. He scooted over to the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around his crabby girlfriend, resting the point of his chin right above her navel. He looked up at her face, his view slightly obstructed by her ample chest, and thought _what a view..._

"Come on," he said instead, "don't be mad, I was just kidding. You're a very pretty girl and its not weird at all that you do girly things." He turned his head so his cheek was pressing into her toned stomach and tightened his hold around her lower back. "Besides, you don't really want me to sleep on the couch." It wasn't a question.

"Oh, and why's that?" He couldn't see her face anymore but her tone had definitely softened.

"Because you _liiiike_ me." He droned, letting go and rolling back over to his side of the bed, closing his eyes and yawning. He looked exhausted.

"You have the unfortunate and annoying habit of being right," she said dryly, turning off the bedside lamp and plopping down on the bed. She had barely gotten under the covers before Shikamaru wrapped her up in his arms. "and you're awfully cuddly tonight."

He was already mostly asleep. "I just like it when you're mine..." was the last thing he mumbled before drifting off completely.

Her face was on fire. "Idiot." she mumbled, glad the darkness hid her grin.

* * *

Temari woke up long before Shikamaru and the moment her eyes opened she knew she wasn't going back to sleep. She tried to ignore the uncomfortable feeling in her chest as she brushed her teeth. It was his last day here.

She stared at herself in the mirror, hair a mess and toothpaste dribbling down her chin. What the hell was she gonna do once he left? Go back to work and not see him again for months?

She snorted out loud, her breath fogging the mirror. Yeah, like _that_ was gonna happen. So much had changed in their relationship (could she even call it that) in just these few days. After Naruto and Hinata's wedding she was happy, but still felt that a long-distance thing could be feasible. Now? Not so much.

She finished up in the bathroom and went back into the bedroom. Seeing him sleeping soundly in her bed brought a strong mix of happiness and sadness. Despite knowing she wouldn't be going back to bed, she crawled back into bed and curled her body into Shikamaru. He was sleeping on his back so it was kind of hard but she managed somehow and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hnnn?" To her immense surprise, Shikamaru's eyes opened and he yawned. In response Temari just snuggled up closer to them. "What time is it?" He seemed to come aware of Temari and quickly wrapped his left arm around her. "Hey," he greeted absently. When he got no response he tried again, "How'd you sleep?" Still nothing. If possible, she burrowed into him even further. Now a little worried, Shikamaru turned on his side so he was facing her.

She fiddled with the chest pocket of his matching pajamas, not looking at him.

This wasn't like Temari at all. "What's up, Temari?" He asked seriously.

"Nothing," she said stoutly, "just tired. You were plenty cuddly last night and that was fine." her tone was a lot more defensive than she would've liked.

As usual, he saw right through her bullshit. "Don't shut me out," he chided.

Temari tensed, hoping she could still fool him. "I'm not."

He didn't say anything. He didn't have to, they both knew she would start talking.

"Ok, fine," she said hotly, abruptly pulling away from him, "I'm sad you're leaving. You happy?"

"Happy that you're sad? In a weird way, I guess. I wouldn't want you to be jumping for joy." He said dryly, ignoring her pull away and feisty tone.

She rolled her eyes and said nothing.

"I'm sad too, but lets not dwell on it, okay? We'll see each other soon." Shikamaru said.

"When?" Temari said skeptically. "The next Chunin exams?"

He shrugged, "before that I'm sure. I'll find a way to see you, you can bet on that."

That made her feel better, "Yeah?"

He gave her a quick kiss. "Yeah. Now let's make some food, I'm starving."

The two made their way downstairs, Temari in noticeably better spirits. They made breakfast and ate in peaceful silence. Once Shikamaru had done the dishes the two found themselves on her couch, still in their PJ's.

"What do you wanna do today?" She asked him.

"Well I wanna take you out on a nice date but that's not until later." Shikamaru checked the wall clock. "It's only 10:30 and I figured we'd eat around 7. That leaves a lot of time."

"Suna's first cinema just opened a couple weeks ago," Temari suggested, "we could go see one of those movies?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Meh." He shot her a look and a sly grin made its way onto his face. "Wanna play shogi?"

Temari's eyes lit up. In all their years of knowing each other, she had asked him at least half a dozen times but he had always declined. "You're on. Just be aware that you're going _down_ , Nara."

Shikamaru straightened. His shogi reputation was not something he took lightly. "Do you have a board?"

She nodded and ran, actually ran, upstairs to grab it. She did not tell him she bought it years so she could practice against herself in order to beat him if he finally accepted. Never in a million years did she think she would actually play him with it.

As they set up, both were deadly quiet.

"Just so you know, for the duration of this game you are not my boyfriend," Temari said with a steely determination, "you are my sworn enemy and I _never_ lose to my enemies."

"Really?" Shikamaru shot back, "well you're still my girlfriend for this, and that'll make crushing you all the sweeter."

Sparks flew between their eyes.

"Ladies first." Temari said snidely.

"Age before beauty." He shot back. Her eye twitched.

A battle for the ages was about to commence.

* * *

 **Two more chapters after this! We'll have the shogi game and the date next chapter, and then the goodbyes and all that bittersweet stuff in the final chapter. Let me know your thoughts, I hope you guys enjoyed!**


	7. Strategeating

**Hey guys, sorry for the long time in between updates. Next chapter will likely be the last. There's the shogi game and the dinner, which will be this chapter, and then Shikamaru's departure and the aftermath, which is next chapter. There COULD be a mini-chapter after the next, but I doubt it. We'll see how it goes.**

 **Also, I'm not really sure how shogi works. I'm guessing its pretty similar to the Western 'Chess' so I'm going to be going with that when describing the game. Please bear with me.**

 **Anyways, I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Shikamaru made the first move and tossed one of his foot soldiers up. He eyed Temari as her eyes swept the board. Her slim fingers plucked a foot soldier of her own and set it forward one space.

They exchanged opening foot soldier moves and then Temari brought out a knight. It was pretty straight forward, but he wasn't letting his guard down.

She didn't speak as they played, which Shikamaru was grateful for. When he had played with Asuma and his dad, they had rarely spoken as well, though Asuma had been known to let out a few choice expletives when he fell for a trap.

Twelve moves in, she tried a simple feint which would trade her knight for one of Shikamaru's bishops. He out-maneuvered it easily and took one of her foot soldiers out in the process, making her eyes narrow.

Twenty one moves in, he took one of her rooks and she actually scoffed in disgust at herself, forcing him to bite back a chuckle.

"It's _on_ now." She said determinedly.

She wasn't blowing hot air, either. Her demeanor changed completely. She became the perfect picture of nonchalance, leaning on one elbow and lounging languidly. It was a stark contrast to his rigid posture.

It made her a lot harder to read. A good part of Shikamaru's planning was judging his opponent's reactions, body language, and even how their eyes flitted around the board. Temari seemed to know this and was playing against him. He was impressed.

Thirty two moves in, he was even more impressed when she caught him in a nasty bind, forcing him to sacrifice either his rook or his bishop. He chose to keep the bishop.

Forty-seven moves in he struck a huge blow and took her queen. She kept her expression calm but her eyes betrayed her. She was surprised, and Shikamaru allowed himself a moment of pride.

And so it went on. By the eighty ninth move victory for Shikamaru was near, but it wasn't without heavy losses. Two foot-soldiers, a bishop and his own king is all he had when he eventually cornered Temari.

"Great game," Shikamaru said sincerely. He was practically glowing and he had a huge smile on his face.

Temari studied him, unsure if she had ever seen him so enthused about anything. She decided it was adorable. "It was a great game," she agreed, "you're about as good as I expected...though I did get you in a bind a few times."

"Yeah, you're better than I thought you would be," Shikamaru said, still grinning. He stood up and stretched his limbs. "You up for another round?"

She smacked her fist into her palm. "Let's do it."

* * *

Temari was a fast learner. He won the second game in a similar manner but the third was a _lot_ closer, and the fourth was a stalemate. She learned his strategies and traps at a near-alarming rate and, though he won the fifth and sixth games, he actually lost the seventh one after a bold queen-kamikaze move threw his carefully-crafted plan down the drain.

"Yes!" She shouted, hopping up onto her feet and pumping her fists. "I did it!"

"Congrats, it's only 5-1 now." Shikamaru said, trying not to let his ego be wounded. Temari was one of the smartest people he knew, he reminded himself. There was no shame in losing to her.

"Don't be a sore loser," she chided. She walked around the board and stood behind Shikamaru, pressing her palms into his tense shoulders.

"I'm not," He assured her, looking up at her face from his seated position. "it was a well-deserved win, you totally screwed me with that queen play. It was so unpredictable."

She shot him a grin, "Well, I _am_ unpredictable."

"That you are, troublesome woman," He smirked, "Up for another game?"

"Mmm, normally yes, but it's already six and I want to start getting ready."

Shikamaru started. "What!?" He stood up and checked the clock in the kitchen. Indeed it was, "holy shit, where did the day go?"

"Time flies when you're having fun," Temari said sagely as she ascended the stairs. "Do you need to use the bathroom? I'll be there in a while."

"Oh? How come?"

She blushed a little, but was already upstairs. "I'm just...I want...I'll be getting ready." she stammered.

"Ok," he called up, not thinking much of it. "I'm fine, take your time. We're in no rush." Once he heard the bathroom door close, he headed upstairs and grabbed his bag. From the bottom of the bag he pulled out a fancy outfit. It wasn't anything particularly special, but he had entertained the idea of taking Temari somewhere nice the moment he decided he was going to Suna so he knew he'd have to dress the part.

It was similar to hi wedding outfit, but was a pale grey with a small deer sewn on the breast pocket. It was a much more personal suit than the wedding tuxedo and was a personal favorite in his wardrobe, even if he rarely had the opportunity to wear it.

He stripped down to his boxers and stretched again, catching a look at himself in the mirror. He looked...good. Happier. He liked that. He got dressed and sat down on Temari's bed. He waited, and waited...and waited. His eyelids got heavy...

* * *

From inside the bathroom, Temari stared at herself in the mirror, clad in nothing but two towels, one around her body and one around her hair.

Truthfully, she was quite excited for this dinner. She was no stranger to makeup, growing up with royal blood and attending numerous balls and other fancy occasions, but she worried that Shikamaru wouldn't like it. The comment from the previous night about her "girlyness" stuck in the back of her mind, and although she knew Shikamaru didn't really mind, it didn't change the fact that Shikamaru liked the Temari he knew, and she was irrationally scared that anything different might not be good enough.

She shook her head. No, she wanted to pretty herself up and that is what she was going to do. Besides, Shikamaru would think she looked hot no matter what. The kisses last night proved that.

She went under the sink cabinet and grabbed her makeup bag. She slammed on the counter and glared at it. She grabbed some lipstick and mascara but paused at the foundation. Deciding to forego the latter, she applied both and, satisfied, turned to her outfit.

It was a sleek black dress that went to right above her knees and fitted her figure wonderfully. She knew she looked good in it and had no hesitation on what to wear since she knew that was the one. She slipped it on over he underwear and removed the towel from her head, letting her damp locks out around her cheeks. This, at least, wasn't a problem. She ran a quick brush through her unruly hair and pinned them back in twin tails. She surveyed herself and smirked. She looked good.

Ready to go, she walked over to the door and opened it, looking out into her bedroom. She was met with a soft snore. Shikamaru snoozed on her bed, looking rather dashing in his suit. She smiled, so the idiot had gone and brought a suit, huh?

She walked over to him and sat down. She ran a hand through his tied back hair and he stirred, blinking sleepily.

"Whoa," he mumbled, bringing his hand up to his eyes and rubbing tiredly, "you look...amazing."

Temari flushed at that, "you look pretty handsome yourself," she admitted, standing up. She offered her hand to him and pulled him up. "Ready to go?"

"Nn," he yawned, stretching his arms out above his head and giving a satisfied grunt as his shoudlers popped, "yeah, let's go."

The two walked downstairs, but Shikamaru paused at the door. "Uh, so where are we going?"

Temari stopped as well, giving him an incredulous look, "This was _your_ idea, I thought you knew."

Shikamaru shrugged, "You know the restaurants around here, where's the nicest place?"

Temari sighed, "It's a bit of a walk."

"That's fine," Shikamaru said nonchalantly, opening the door and gesturing for her to leave, "I like showing you off."

"That's my line," she teased as she walked through, making him grin. He followed her and grabbed onto her hand as they walked.

The sun was starting to set as they walked in peaceful silence. The trip was uneventful and eventually they were standing in front of a fancy place. The line was about fifty feet out the door, and a host was seen standing at the doors, telling people that there was currently a two hour wait.

"Great," Shikamaru sighed, "where else can we go?"

Temari just squeezed his hand. "Watch and learn, Nara." She led him by the hand to the front of the line and nodded to the host, whos eyes lit up.

"Ah! Temari-sama, it's so good to see you!" He chirped, eyeing the two of them happily, "Oh, and what a dashing young man you have accompanying you! Will you two be needing a table?"

"Yes, Kurushira, thank you," Temari said politely.

Kurushira scribbled something on the waiting list and ushered them inside to a table near the middle of the restaurant. Shikamaru looked around as he walked. The lighting was super soft and there wasn't really any pretentiousness in the air, which Shikamaru both liked and was surprised by. There was the low thrum of quiet conversation and the occasional laugh and Shikamaru instantly felt pretty comfortable.

Kurushira pulled their chairs out and they sat down and thanked them. A pretty, young waitress stopped by and gave them menus and asked if they would like anything to drink. They both ordered a glass of red wine and began looking over the menus.

"This place is really nice," Shikamaru said as he eyed his menu.

"It's pretty good," Temari agreed, "you should try the steak. It's to die for."

"I'll consider it," Shikamaru nodded, putting down his menu momentarily to sneak glance at his girlfriend. The soft lighting accentuated every pretty thing about her, Shikamaru thought, and he had to force his eyes back to his menu to keep from staring. "What're you gonna get?"

"They have a wonderful tofu soup," Temari said thoughtfully as she peeled through her menu, "I usually get that."

Shikamaru made a face. "Blech."

"Not a fan of tofu?"

"You could say that."

Temari closed her menu and placed it to her left. She grinned at him, but before either could continue talking the waitress was back with their wine. They both thanked her and took a glass.

"Oi, Shikamaru," Temari said, raising her glass to him, "thanks for coming to see me." She lowered her voice and looked around, embarrassed. "These past few days have been some of the best of my life."

Shikamaru felt heat crawl up his face and raised his glass as well. "Same here, coming here was the best decision I've made in a while."

Temari tilted her glass forward, "To us?" She hadn't meant to make it sound like a question, but she was a little nervous about saying the words and it had creeped into her tone.

Glass clinked against glass instantly. "To us," he said, his voice slightly husky. They both took a sip and grinned at each other.

* * *

And so dinner went on. Shikamaru ordered the steak and Temari got her favorite tofu soup. The food was as good as any he could recall tasting, and the wine (of which he had two glasses) was good too.

They talked about their pasts for the most part. Temari opened up a bit about her past. Not so much Gaara and the dark deeds their father did, but more the happy memories of when their mother was alive and the struggles of growing up essentially parentless.

Shikamaru had considered himself someone who had gone through considerable harship in his life, but hearing Temari's stories made him realize how lucky he was compared to some people.

And the fact that she, someone who was so closed off to most people and harboured such a painful past, could open up to him and sit there and just _smile_ so beautifully at him made him happier than he could ever recall. A warm feeling in his chest bloomed and spread through his body, and on impulse he reached out and place a hand on the table palm up.

Without missing a beat or even pausing her conversation, Temari laid her hand in his and they continued chatting.

Temari, on the other hand, couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to Shikamaru about something she had _never_ discussed with anyone but her brothers. The words just spilled from her lips and seeing the concern in his eyes made a lovely feeling well up inside her.

It didn't hurt that he looked so damn _handsome_ either.

Their conversation was interrupted by an apologetic looking Kurushira. "Excuse me, but we're closing."

"Oh, is it 10 o'clock already?" Temari asked, surprised.

Kurushira nodded with a little smile. "Forgive me for asking, but the cooks would like to go home."

Shikamaru turned around and saw they were some of the last people in the restaurant, aside from a young couple, a cool looking brunette boy and a beautiful redhead girl, chatting quietly a couple tables over and a much rowdier double date on the other side of the building.

"Forgive us, we should've read the room," Shikamaru said politely. "How much do I owe?"

Kurushira shook his head, "Temari-sama eats free here, the publicity we'll get for her staying her until closing time more than out-prices your meals."

Temari rolled her eyes. "Really, _we_ ," she emphasized the word, "don't mind paying."

The host beamed at them, "I'm afraid I'll have to insist."

Shikamaru pulled out his wallet and pulled out a fair stack of bills. He split them into two piles and handed them separately to Kurushira. "Well then at least make sure one of these gets to our waitress. The other is for you."

"You are too kind, Shikamaru-sama." The host bowed, smiling at him. "I will make sure Annalaide-chan gets her money, rest assured. You two have a wonderful night."

The two stood up and headed for the door. As they walked, Shikamaru's eyes slid over the cool-couple near the door and made eye contact with the boy who was probably two years his junior. The boy nodded and went back to the conversation with his lovely girlfriend, but the hair's on the back of his neck stood up in a weird way, and he shivered.

Temari noticed. "Chilly?" she asked. The two exited through the door and out into the night.

"Nah, just got a weird vibe from the couple in that restaurant." Shikamaru responded.

Temari instantly looked on guard. "A bad vibe?"

"Not really," Shikamaru said, trying to describe it, "just...it was like a feeling I get when I'm around an angry Tsunade...or Naruto when he's hungry."

Temari relaxed, "Oh, you mean powerful? Yeah, Suna is holding a competition for the strongest ninjas from smaller villages. Lot's of unknown, powerful ninja around here."

Shikamaru relaxed too, "oh, that's cool."

"It was all Gaara's idea," Temari said proudly. "He's doing a wonderful job as Kazekage." She snuggled up close to him as they walked home, and her tone got quiet, "I'll owe Naruto for the rest of my life for what he did to Gaara."

Shikamaru snaked an arm around her waist and squeezed, "we all owe Naruto a lot. We're lucky our villages are so close."

"Mm," Temari hummed in agreement. "So...you're leaving tomorrow?"

Shikamaru sighed, "unfortunately. Kakashi was pretty clear about me needing to be back in a week."

Temari nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. The rest of the walk back was quiet. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, Shikamaru right behind her.

Suddenly there was a hand on her shoulder, then she was being turned around and his lips were on hers. It was so warm and pleasant that she melted right into it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lost herself in the pleasure.

He broke it after about fifteen seconds and it was Temari this time that let out a little, involuntary noise of protest.

"Don't be sad I'm leaving," he said, his voice gravelly and very sexy, in Temari's expert and totally unbiased opinion. "It won't be long before we're together again, I'll make sure of it."

Temari thought about denying sadness but realized she didn't really want to. So she just nodded.

He scooped her up bridal style and kissed her again, softly. "Now, I'm tired, let's go to bed."

Temari just nodded again and they went upstairs. He plopped her on the bed and went to his backpack, pulling out his slightly rumpled pajamas. He stripped off his suit top and shirt and headed for the bathroom.

Temari quickly slipped out of her dress and threw on the same pajamas, and was sitting on the bed when Shikamaru emerged. He grinned at seeing her in the matching pajamas. "That was fast," he said, flopping onto the bed.

Temari settled under the covers next to him and he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her close to him. He breathed in her scent and she made a small noise of contentment.

"It was nice being with the hottest girl at the restaurant." He said. "I felt so cool."

Temari laughed, wondering if that was the alcohol talking. "I dunno, that redhead chick was pretty hot..." she said teasingly.

"Hmmmm," Shikamaru said in over-exaggerated thoughtfullness, and she smacked the back of his head lightly. "Nah, still gonna go with you."

"You're sappy when you're tired." She noted.

"Nah, I'm just honest." He said it so sincerely.

She kissed him one last time "Goodnight, Shikamaru."

"Goodnight, Temari."

* * *

 **Haha, thought I'd throw in a little red-herring with the weird-vibe couple in the restaurant. Maybe trick some people into thinking they were assassins or something...but nope! Nothing but fluff in this story.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you thought! One more chapter until its finished. See you guys then!**


	8. Future

**Ahh, I know I know it took so long to update. I moved and started work and it's just been crazy. But the final chapter is finally here, so I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Shikamaru woke up and had a few seconds of peace before he remembered he had to leave. The peace shattered and he sighed. Soon he'd be back in Konoha, continuing to learn how to advise the future Hokage. Just the thought of dealing with Naruto practically 24/7 was enough to make him groan.

Said groan stirred Temari from her slumber. She turned over in bed to look at him and let out a huge, unflattering yawn.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," she said, sleepy. She snuggled back into her pillow and closed her eyes again. "What time is it?"

Shikamaru checked the nearest clock. "Almost six in the morning. Early."

"Hnnn," Temari was almost asleep again.

Not wanting to wake her, Shikamaru tried to slip out of bed as discreetly as possible. It didn't work.

"Where are you going?" She whined, eyes opening again.

"I have to get ready to go. Kakashi expects me back in a couple days. He was nice enough to let me come here so the least I can do is get back on time."

She sat up, a little crease appearing between her eyes as she frowned. "Since when do you care about punctuality?"

Shikamaru stripped off his pajama shirt and slid on a regular one. "Since I started caring about my future career."

"Hmph," Temari stood up and ruffled her hair. "will you at least stay for breakfast, or are you that excited to get rid of me?"

"Of course," Shikamaru said, walking over to her and embracing her at the waist. "Don't be mad at me just because I have to go."

Temari still didn't look happy, but she wrapped her arms around his neck anyways. "Fine."

He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. "What's for breakfast, dear?" he asked mockingly.

"Very funny," she said, breaking the embrace, "I don't know, let's go look."

"Alright, let me just pack my stuff up." He gathered his stuff while Temari went to the bathroom to relieve herself and change out of her pajamas. When they were both done they headed downstairs and made some breakfast.

"So," Shikamaru asked as they ate at her kitchen table, "anything exciting going on with work?"

Temari shrugged, "I'll have some catching up to do after this last week, but nothing too fun. The world has been kinda boring since the war ended."

Shikamaru smirked, "I for one have been enjoying the peace."

"Peace is fine," Temari protested, "but I'd just like to be able to blow away some idiots every now and then, y'know? Just to blow off some steam."

"I guess," Shikamaru said noncommittally, finishing up the last of his breakfast. He stood up and put his dishes in the sink.

"I'll walk you to the gates," Temari said quickly.

"You sure? You don't have to," Shikamaru told her, glancing outside. Even in the early morning, the sun beat down harshly. "It already looks troublesomely hot outside."

"You did it to me a hundred times in Konoha," was her dismissive response. "Besides, I want to."

"Fine," Shikamaru hoisted his bag onto his back and took a little look around her apartment. He said a mental goodbye to the cozy place and opened the front door, stepping out into the hot, crowded alleyway. Temari closed it behind him and the two joined hands.

The walk to the front gate was short. Too short, in Shikamaru's totally unbiased opinion.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Temari said bitterly.

"Not for too long," Shikamaru promised. "I'm gonna try and get back here soon, I promise."

"Yeah, maybe...I'll talk to Gaara too, maybe get another ambassador mission to Konoha or something."

Shikamaru smirked at her, "Isn't ambassador a little below your qualifications?"

Temari shot him a grin and elbowed him lightly in the ribs. "I think for you I can take the humble duty, crybaby."

Shikamaru reached out and grabbed her around the waist. "Good." he said quietly, "I'll miss you."

Temari quickly looked around the very public front gate, but the only people around were guards who very pointedly weren't looking at them.

He leaned in and kissed her, but she pulled away quickly, crimson. "We're in public," she whisper-shouted. "People will see."

"Good, let them." Shikamaru said, "Let them all see that you're mine. That way no one will try and funny business while I'm gone."

Temari broke the embrace with a hearty cackle. "As if I'd let them," Temari boasted, "and that goes double for the bimbos in Konoha. I don't want to have to beat anyone bloody next time I come to visit."

Shikamaru waved her off, "yeah yeah, troublesome woman. Whatever."

They were silent for a moment before both broke out in a light chuckle.

"Safe travels, Shikamaru," she told him with a confident smile.

"Thanks Temari, see ya around," He told her, turning around. He walked the first thirty yards before breaking into a sprint. Soon he was out of sight, and Temari let her smile drop.

She was going to miss that lazy jerk.

* * *

The trip back to Konoha was unremarkable. He made it in two days and was currently waiting to see Kakashi to give his 'report' on the 'mission'.

Shizune popped her head out of the Hokage's office, startling the daydreaming boy. "The Hokage is ready to see you now, Shikamaru," she said kindly, opening the door wider for him.

Shikamaru yet out a loud yawn and stood up. He sauntered into the office, where Kakashi was waiting for him.

"Hello Shikamaru," Kakashi said. "How was the return trip?"

"Uneventful," Shikamaru told him. "The mission was a success though."

"Glad to here it," Kakashi nodded. There was silence for a few seconds. "Anyways, considering this whole mission was practically a farce, there's no real reason to go any further. You're free to go." he nodded his head towards the door.

However, Shikamaru did not move. He stood rooted to the spot, thinking of what to say.

Kakashi understood pretty quickly. "Oh ho, so the mission really _was_ a success, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

"I may not have the Sharingan anymore, but you're too easy to read." Kakashi teased, leaning back in his chair and gracing the Jonin with a scrutinizing look. "You want to get back with Temari together as soon as possible, yes?"

Shikamaru fought the blush creeping up his neck. It was a losing battle. "Was I really that obvious?" he muttered, annoyed.

"Well, you see I am quite the romantic myself. I pick up on these things," Kakshi said coyly, picking up a copy of Icha Icha Paradise taped to the underside of his desk. "Now, I suspected this might happen. Do you want to hear my plan?"

Shikamaru bit his tongue to keep from blurting out "Yes please!" too desperately. Instead he took a deep breath and said with as much nonchalance as possible, "Yeah, sure."

"We're in need of representitves from each nation to oversee the founding of the new government. There will be a year in each nation, with Konoha being the first. I can see if Temari is willing to be the Sunan representative."

Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat. "A whole year? That might be more than I can handle."

Kakashi laughed, but Shikamaru was only half kidding.

"I'll put in the request then," Kakashi told him. "Now, if that's all..." he looked around the piles of paper work that surrounded him. "I'll have _you_ take care of all this." His eyes twinkled, "welcome back to Konoha."

Shikamaru sighed, but his smile ruined it.

"By the way, the mission starts in two weeks," Kakashi added.

Shikamaru shook his head. "It can't come soon enough," he admitted.

Kakashi stood up and walked over to Shikamaru. He slapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you Shikamaru, I wish you both the best. Just make sure it doesn't distract you from your work."

"Of course not," He assured the Hokage. "I'll be fine. So will she."

"I'm glad," Kakashi told him, turning to the door. "Now, while you sort this out, I'm going to go have myself a nice nap. Ciao!" He practically ran out the door.

Shikamaru watched his Hokage cape flutter behind him as he sped down the hall way. He turned and looked at the stacks of paperwork around him.

The future was difficult and full of hard work, but as long as he had Temari and his friends with him, he felt he could tackle anything as long as he gave it his best.

For the first time in a long time, Shikamaru smiled as he worked.

 **Fin.**

* * *

 _Bonus scene:_

* * *

Temari lounged on her bed, brooding. Stupid Shikamaru. Who was he to make her feel this sad just because he wasn't around. It pissed her off and made her want to ugly cry at the same time.

There was a knock on her door. Not in the mood for company, she ignored it. She heard the door open a few seconds later and sighed, knowing that Gaara had an impatience for waiting. "I'm up here," she snapped, "but make it quick!"

She heard soft footsteps coming up the stairs. Gaara stepped into her room, as solemn as ever.

"Big sister, there has been word from Konoha." Gaara stated, getting right to the point as usual.

Temari hid her interest well. "Oh, what do they want?"

"You." Gaara leaned against the door frame, a wry smile threatening to appear along the corners of his mouth. "For a long-term Sunan Representative position."

Temari shot out of bed. "What? You're kidding."

"I rarely kid." Gaara said flatly. "It begins in two weeks. Do you want it?"

"Yes." Temari said quickly.

Gaara turned to leave. "I figured as much. Enjoy yourself, Temari. You've earned this happiness."

Temari smiled softly as Gaara began walking down the stairs. "Thanks, Gaara."

A few minutes later, when she was sure Gaara was gone, she flopped back on her bed and let out a little squeak of happiness she wouldn't dare let out in the presence of anyone else.

Finally, for the first time in her life, she was at peace with her past, happy with her present and excited for the future.

* * *

 **And that's the end of the story! I'm SO sorry for the delay. Moving back home has really put a damper on my muse, but I wanted to finish this story! I had so much fun writing this, I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did! I might have one final story to post for Naruto, so stay tuned!**

 **Ciao** ,

 **~Knifez.**


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